Quote:
Originally Posted by SackAttack
These aren't mutually incompatible concepts. The trade can be better for the Dodgers and have the Red Sox still improve their haul.
If there's one thing Dodger fans have been hollering for this offseason, it's been bullpen upgrades. I think Blake Treinen will help there, but a lot of folks have been like "what, that's it???"
It's unclear, afaik, whether Maeda just straight up didn't want to move to the bullpen, or if the Dodgers hadn't any interest in reworking his contract to replace the incentives with relief incentives (or simply add to the existing incentives); Graterol steps in as a kid with a big arm who apparently has a bright future as a bullpen piece.
The Dodgers, as mentioned, could afford to give up their #3 catching prospect and Jeter Downs, given their respective depth in those two positions. So, yes, they're "paying more" in prospect capital, but they didn't give up May or Lux, and the Red Sox's panic over Graterol had the knock-on effect of potentially improving the Dodger bullpen.
So, yeah. I think this trade probably IS better for the Dodgers than the prior version, even if the Sox ended up improving their haul as well.
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I agree. I didn't mean to imply the Dodgers came out worse here. I think this deal makes more sense for both teams.
The first deal that was agreed to made sense from the Red Sox perspective, but didn't return the value you'd expect from Betts. This deal is for a guy that should fall somewhere between a young Markakis and Conforto as far as value goes, a guy that is immediately their best prospect, and a legit catching prospect.
The Dodgers get a top 10 position player, a backend starter, and a late inning lottery ticket. Betts has a fenway park swing that probably won't play as well in LA, but he's still an all star center fielder.